Right ventricular outflow tract function in chronic heart failure.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a common, progressive, complex clinical syndrome and a subset of HF patients has symptoms out of proportion to the resting hemodynamics and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Right ventricular (RV) function is a powerful prognostic factor in HF, but assessing it is a challenge because of the right ventricle's complex geometry.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical application value of RV outflow tract (RVOT) function measured by transthoracic echocardiography in HF patients.

Fragmented QRS predicts the arrhythmic events in patients with heart failure undergoing ICD implantation for primary prophylaxis: more fragments more appropriate ICD shocks.

Background: Fragmented QRS complex (fQRS) is associated with cardiovascular outcomes in various patient populations. Although there were clinical studies investigating the association of fQRS with arrhythmic events in patients with systolic heart failure, the results were conflicting regarding the association of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) shocks and fQRS. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the association between the presence and extent of fQRS with appropriate ICD shocks and/or all-cause mortality.

Myocardial tissue perfusion predicts the evolution of fragmented QRS in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: Fragmented QRS complex (fQRS) is associated with worse outcomes in several cardiovascular conditions. However, alterations in fQRS in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and association of fQRS with myocardial blush grade (MBG) has not been investigated until now. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association of MBG after primary PCI with evolution of fQRS.

Heart rate variability and red cell distribution width in patients with systolic left heart failure.

Objective: Red cell distribution width (RDW) is a strong prognostic marker for systolic left heart failure regardless of the anemia status, and heart rate variability (HRV) is negatively associated with mortality and sudden cardiac death in patients with systolic left heart failure. Their relationship has not been investigated in the previous literature.

Design: One hundred eighty four patients who had been previously diagnosed with systolic left heart failure (with ischemic or non-ischemic etiology) were retrospectively enrolled in our study.